Innovative Strategies

IEL bridges research, policy, and practice to identify and promote innovative and compelling strategies related to early childhood education, schools and communities, and youth transition to adulthood.

Innovative Strategies

Innovative Strategies

Community School Linkages Project

The Community School Linkages Project makes deliberate improvements across early childhood and community school settings. Effective linkages ensure that the continuum of learning that begins well before elementary is supported throughout schooling.

Mind in the Making

The Mind in the Making—Community Schools partnership fosters children’s cognitive skill development for lifelong learning in community schools. It provides common language and expectations for young children and new pathways for parents, educators, and policymakers to ensure early learning collaboration and improve systemic support for families.

School & Communities

Community Schools

Community schools unite educators and community partners to offer a range of opportunities and supports to youth, families, and communities. This partnership allows the school and community to support the learning and development of their young people. IEL's Coalition for Community Schools is the national network uniting these efforts.

Family & Community Engagement Network

The Family and Community Engagement Network is a broad reaching network to learn about enhanced family and community engagement research and practice. The 2015 National Family and Community Engagement Conference theme is Shaping our Future by Leading Together: Families, Schools and Communities.

National Consortium on Leadership and Disability for Youth

The National Consortium on Leadership and Disability for Youth work is guided by the five areas of youth development and leadership: Learning, Connecting, Thriving, Working, and Leading. These five areas correspond with 7 of the 8 areas of emphasis listed in the Developmental Disabilities Act.

Youth Transition to Adulthood Models

Ready to Achieve Mentoring Program (RAMP)TM

RAMP is a high-tech, career-focused mentoring program for youth involved with or at risk of involvement with the juvenile justice system, including those with disabilities. The RAMP model uses a combination of group, peer, and individualized mentoring to promote the successful transition of all youth.

Right Turn Career-Focused Youth Transition Initiative

The Right Turn Career-Focused Transition Initiative serves youth involved in, or at risk of becoming involved in the juvenile justice system, providing individualized education, training, mentoring, and workforce development opportunities. Right Turn operates nationally in five community sites.

High School/High Tech is a national network of state and locally operated programs designed to provide young people with all types of disabilities the opportunity to explore science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) careers and postsecondary education pathways.